October 5, 2015

The Eyedrivomatic is a system that lets you Drive a Wheelchair using Eye Tracking Technology.

“Eyedrivomatic’s software is in two parts, firmware for the arduino in the brain box, and a pc application which I have written in processing. Many eyegaze users will have software on their computer for communication and computer control. Our intention is that the pc software will be accessible through the users own computer control software, or directly, using the eyegaze equipment’s mouse emulation capibilities. At the moment, it only works with one computer control package – Grid2. Grid2 has allowed for rapid development of the pc software, and I intend to perfect it before writing the stand alone pc application.”

“Combo Breaker is a motorized, battery powered, 3D printed, Arduino-based combination lock cracking device. It is portable, open source, 3D models provided, and exploits a new technique I’ve discovered for cracking combination locks in 8 attempts or less, but in an even more exciting, automated fashion.”

August 11, 2015

If you have ever wanted an X-Ray machine in the lab to assist in tracing out the PCB traces that run under components? John McMaster built just that. He used a dental X-Ray machine which has a very small image size. A controller moves the system to allow for multiple images to be taken and stitched together later. The result is demystified reverse engineering. Via: Make

July 30, 2015

Do you need some help getting out of bed in the morning? This High Voltage Ejector Bed doesn’t give you gradual wake up music, a slow simulates sun rise, sun from motorized blinds or any other pleasant method of starting your day. This system rings warning bells, flashes warning lights and blasts you our of bed with pneumatics. I think this would be very effective and would be used faithfully until you get your first black eye from smashing into your dresser. 🙂

July 8, 2015

Molson Canadian knows how to make an interesting Beer Fridge. While most would simply give the high tech illusion Molson Canadian has actually went to great lengths to allow the tech in the fridge to actually work the magic. In all cases the goal is to unlock the fridge to enjoy some cold beer. The methods to open the fridge has changed from version to version. There is one that looks for an inserted passport and opens the fridge when a Canadian passport has been inserted, one that opens when you sing a correct version of O-Canada and one that opens after 6 people say I am Canadian in 6 different languages. Nice thing is that Molson has made some behind the scenes videos that show us how the tech works behind the scenes. Of course all the tech could be tossed out if they went the simple route by having a remote human in the loop monitoring the interaction but it is nice that they stayed true to the concept in each case.

July 2, 2015

If you are looking for an extra boost in the morning, how does a custom message just for you printed on your coffee sound? That is exactly what this 3D Printed Latte Art Machine does!

“TheRipple Makeremploys 3D printing and inkjet technology to adorn the top of your hot beverage with complex designs that could take the form of someone’s name, their face, or even a personalized message to the attractive customer behind you. The machine itself is small, measuring just 8.5” by 10.5,” and connects via Wi-Fi to a library of designs. Users have the option to choose from a menu of themes and messages to stamp onto the milky foam canvas using natural coffee extract, also known as Ripple Pods.

Even suitable for the morning rush, the machine takes all of 10 seconds to produce a selected design on top of any cup up to 7″ high and 4.5″ wide. In addition, the Ripple Maker comes with a mobile app that enables baristas and companies to create custom designs, or upload and edit images straight from their smartphone camera roll. This makes sending a personal image as simple as devising a social media post.”

June 22, 2015

Photoinduction has taken apart his Nd YAG Laser. This is a complex beast of a system, I wonder what this thing cost new! He goes over some of the theory behind how the system works and demonstrates some of the parts from his huge laser system. There is some damage to this system, looks like there was probably a water cooling issue or just a loose electrical connection that allowed for some heat buildup.